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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964967">Freedom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_salty_alto/pseuds/a_salty_alto'>a_salty_alto</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad end, Character Study, Gen, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, broken trust</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:08:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_salty_alto/pseuds/a_salty_alto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’re taking Maruki’s deal.”</p>
<p>Haru stares at the words on her screen, unable to process them. Usually whenever Ren sends a text, it causes the rest of the Phantom Thieves’ chat to blow up, more so when they’re all anxiously waiting to know if they’ll be able to give Maruki the calling card.</p>
<p>Except, apparently they’re not stealing his heart? They’re just… going to stay here? Accept this reality.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumptober 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948300</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Freedom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Whumptober Day 12 prompt: Broken Trust</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“We’re taking Maruki’s deal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru stares at the words on her screen, unable to process them. Usually whenever Ren sends a text, it causes the rest of the Phantom Thieves’ chat to blow up, more so when they’re all anxiously waiting to know if they’ll be able to give Maruki the calling card.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except, apparently they’re not stealing his heart? They’re just… going to stay here? Accept this reality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After all they’ve done? They’re just giving up like that?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Evidently the others feel the same, because the group chat has fallen silent. Occasionally it lights up with a notification that someone is typing, but it keeps disappearing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru lets her phone fall out of her hands onto her bed. Her mind goes back to that week, only a month ago, yet it felt like a lifetime.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was her wish. It was time spent with her father that she had so desperately wanted. She still wants it, if she’s being honest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru had decided she didn’t want to run away from the truth anymore, and she means that. She’d told Ren as much.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren who had helped her stand on her own, who helped her find her own way and make a new path for her company.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren who was now… asking her to throw it all away? Why? He hadn’t even been tempted with anything up until now! What was worth this…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Betrayal.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru swallows, her throat suddenly dry, because that’s this feeling isn’t it? She feels hurt, </span>
  <em>
    <span>betrayed,</span>
  </em>
  <span> because she vowed to take the confidence Ren had given her and carve out her own path made of sweat and tears and failure. She’d invited Ren to this very room and poured her heart out so her friend would know she didn’t want to be weak again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She told him she wanted to choose her own path. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She still does want to choose her own path.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And now Ren is, what? Telling her no? Telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them no? Had he even given Maruki the calling card? Would their memories be wiped again? Haru is going to lose the memories of everything she struggled for </span>
  <em>
    <span>again?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru replays that day in her mind. Her resolve to choose her own path had caused Astarte to be reborn. Her other self had transformed yet again, when Haru hadn’t even known she could. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucy came about because Haru refused Dr. Maruki’s “gift.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucy came about because Astarte took on some of her old power and fused with Milady.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, it’s Lucy’s voice in the back of Haru’s mind, telling her she can fall back on an old trick as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Freedom for you must stem from betrayal. If you still yearn for it now, then you must not err.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Haru takes a deep breath and sits up on her bed, picking up her phone and going through her contacts until she finds the unsaved number she’d added months ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She dials it, each ring strengthening her resolve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Now tell me… who shall you betray?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Goro Akechi picks up the phone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okumura?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sounds angry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you don’t want to stay in this reality either,” Haru says, voice cold. “Let’s work together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Let us adorn your departure in freedom with a beautiful betrayal!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
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